Cold Nights
by Tess 4 5
Summary: Well, here's what could happen when you share a bed in a cold night. Actually in this story you can enjoy three of them. Three times three.
1. Cold Nights

**Author's usual notes and disclaimer:** I don't own any of the original characters nor the original Inspector Lynley Mysteries – they belong to Elizabeth George and the BBC. I have borrowed the characters from the TV-Show and solely own the ideas of _my_ stories and the developments _I've_ let them go through.

Please write a PM if I did something terribly wrong. Thanks!

Please read and review! More thanks!

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 **Author's note and summary:** Yes, I know, I should go on with other things... Well, here's what could happen when you share a bed in a cold night. Actually in this story you can enjoy three...

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 **Cold Nights  
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"It's cold. The bloody engineer should hurry up with his work." she said as she crawled closer into his back and put her arm around his waist. He covered her hand above his chest with his.

"Mhmmm... this is an old building, darling, he simply needs his time." When she started to play with his nipples - hardened just from the cold, of course - he chuckled.

"What?" Barbara demanded and pinched him.

"Ouch!"

"I'm getting romantic and you chuckle?"

"I've just remembered the first time you held me like this." Tommy smiled.

The woman in his back wriggled a bit to get into a comfortable position against his back. "Mmmmh, you mean when you've whisked me away to that tiny wooden house in the mountains and you've forgotten the instructions book down in that overprized Suiss hotel and have convinced me to sleep naked despite the cold because the Innuit do it alike? I still think that was pretextual, _Sir_."

"Don't say it hadn't worked. You've given birth to the most beautiful little boy, Havers."

"Yah, I may concede." Barbara said with her lips on his shoulder blades. "Disloyal little bloke. When I've called your mother today he had said he doesn't miss us. Can you believe that?"

"What do you expect? He's two and spoiled rotten by his Granny."

For a while they lay in warm closeness, minds wandering to their son who was spending a few days with his grandmother in the modern - and warm - flat in London to give his parents a bit of a quality time. Which they had. That is until the heating system of Howenstow broke down. In January.

"Well, no, I mean a certain night in the Scottish Highlands when we were surprised by that snow storm." Tommy mumbled while he tightened the duvet around his wife's and his naked bodies.

Barbara grinned and gently bit his nape. " _You_ were surprised, _Sir_. _I_ 've told you so the entire day."

* * *

 **... a few years ago ...  
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"I've told you so." DS Barbara Havers grumbled looking out of the front window of his car, watching the wiper blades surrendering to the snow flakes falling down in a thick curtain. " _Sir_."

"That's not very helpful, Havers." The driver who happened to be her boss, DI Tommy Lynley, drove - or better slid - into a parking lot next to a lonely house on the roadside diffusely displaying a pub sign. The only visible lights were the windows and the dim lamp above that said sign. "They will have accomodation, I'm sure."

He did not sound very sure but anyway, they could not drive on through the snow storm that was in the weather forecast the entire day.

Barbara had gone straight to the fireplace to heat up her freezing cold fingers and let her boss try to find some place for the night. She knew when her grumpy face would be of no use. Apart from that he could play whatever card he wanted. And pay for the room - if they had one. As chance would have it the landlord could offer them the last room he had.

"It's our 'suite'." he grinned suggestively with a nod in Barbara's direction. "It's in the attic, it's the one and only room with an ensuite bathroom - and a huge one at that - and it has a king size fourposter-"

"You have no room with _two_ beds?" Lynley interrupted the Scot. "Or a folding bed to stand separately?"

"Oi, you really would miss the chance sleeping with that beautiful girl, man?" the big man laughed. "We offer extra service with that room: we carry your luggage upstairs and two Babychams are waiting for you."

"Listen." Tommy came closer across the bar. His eyes narrowed and his voice became sharp. "We are working partners, do you understand? We don't share a bed." As much as he would have loved that. He glanced over to Barbara who was warming her back now and glared back at him with a withering look.

"Well, you have to, Sir, or one of you stay down here in the serving room. I can offer a second blanket and you make yourself comfortable on one of those wooden benches. Sir." He almost sounded like Barbara when she was sarcastically Sir-ing her boss.

In the end they had agreed that the two detectives would be given a second smaller duvet.

"Can you believe that?" they heard the landlord saying to his wife after he had carried the luggage upstairs and she had brought the cold Babycham and two glasses. "A handsome man and a beautiful young woman, and they don't do it. At least that's what he said."

His wife answered "What a shame. Have you seen the looks they are exchanging? They must be blind as moles..."

* * *

Lynley and Havers settled in and then went downstairs to have dinner. They tried to prolong the evening as much as possible but eventually the bar called for last orders. No way of escaping the night in a shared bed now.

Both - separately of course - took a hot shower before getting into their pyjamas. Fortunately they had been up here in Scotland for a few days on a case so they had their overnight things with them.

Awkwardly they discussed who will sleep on which side and who will take which duvet.

"Of course you will take the king size duvet, Barbara." Tommy generously offered and fluffed up the smaller bedspread for himself.

"Of course _not_ , Sir." Barbara objected. "You are distinctively taller so this small thing is too small for _you_. It's okay for me."

Blushing she took the bedspread from him and vanished under it in a second. Sighing Tommy agreed and settled down next to her.

"Fortunately this is a king size bed." he mumbled. "Have a good night Barbara. And... sorry I didn't listen to you."

She snorted in reply. _Fortunately? Is it that bad to be so close to me?_ she thought.

"Mh. 't's okay. At least we have a room for the night." she answered. "Sleep well... Sir."

He sighed. _You could call me Tommy. We are sharing a bed._ he thought.

The Babychams had stayed untouched.

* * *

In the middle of the night Tommy woke up with an urgent necessity. A long evening of drinking took its toll. When he moved to leave the bed he felt an arm around his waist, a hand on his chest and a body pressing into his back. In an instant he was wide awake and tried to recall the previous evening. His hand went down to his leg.

 _Oh, good gracious, we are still decently dressed._

Obviously nothing had happened he might have forgotten. A nose between his shoulder blades breathed warmly through the cloth of his pyjama and another hands was buried in his hair. If only his bladder was not calling. He moved again, very cautiously, trying to not wake Barbara up. He started to grin when her grip became firm. The situation was not that bad after all. Her steady breathing told him that she was still not awake and probably not aware what she was doing.

"I need to go, Barbara." Tommy whispered as quiet as he could.

Her grip turned even more firm and she pressed herself into his back. She was waking up and she had heard him. Her hand started to gently stroke his chest. Tommy felt an absolutely inappropriate desire but still tried to wriggle free from Barbara's arm.

"You're not goin' anywhere, Tommy." a sleepy voice, an almost _sleeping_ voice hummed into his back and a knee behind him bent and nudged between his legs. " 't's so cold without you."

Tommy knew that Barbara was still asleep but he could not help but smile that she was unconsciously calling him by his given name. _She should be awake._ he thought. _And I shouldn't have that urgent task._

"Bloody!" he cursed aloud and with a jolt Barbara finally _was_ awake. She almost jumped away from him and stuttered incoherent words of excuse while she crawled back under her own small duvet.

When he came back from the loo she was curled up on her side, presenting her back (he was tempted to return the favour of spooning her but dismissed the thought as quickly as it had turned up) and pretending to be already sleeping again.

They never had mentioned that incident later.

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	2. More Cold Nights

**A/N:** Tom, Tom, turn around... A song actually inspired me. So, here's another chapter.

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 **More Cold Nights**

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"Oh, for god's sake..." she mumbled and tried to wriggle away from the arm around her waist and the snoring thunder in her ear. "Please stop that!"

"Huh? What?!" The man behind her startled and then tightened his grip on her left breast. "Why are you waking me up, love?"

"Man, you're snorin'!" Barbara grumbled. "Not only that I just had wanted a bit of a cuddly afterplay and you simply fell asleep, now you also keep _me_ from sleepin'."

"I'm sorry, Barb, but I'm so exhausted." Tommy yawned and placed a wet kiss on her naked shoulder. "I'm awake since eight this morning. _Plus_ you've finished me off after dinner."

She chuckled. "Blame yourself. You shouldn't have to exercise your horse all morning 'cause you knew that you'd give your daughter her present after lunch. You could've guessed that she would want to learn riding it immediately."

"I've guessed that, you know." Tommy nibbled at her earlobe. "But I haven't guessed that _your son_ would fidget inbetween with his bike the entire time. Where were _you_ by the way? I could have done with some maternal help."

Barbara stretched like a yawning cat. "Aaah, I was at the coast with your mother. We talked about that bloody function and practised some yoga. Very relaxing, I tell you..."

"That's not fair!" Tommy grumbled and pulled her closer against his naked body. Barbara chuckled again while his hand changed over to her other breast. "What's so funny, woman?"

"I just remembered the first time you held me like this and snored like a rusty saw." Barbara grinned into the darkness.

"You mean when you've forced me to go on holidays at that caravan park and Jack was living in the other mobile home with mother so we can have some private moments for ourselves after that long day at the beach?" Tommy grinned and almost left a lovebite on Barbara's neck. "Mmmmh, I remember that too. You were embarrassed that probably everybody could hear us if we'd be making love but then blessed me with not holding back anything." He chuckled tickling into her nape. "And later you scolded me for sounding like a wood cutter." Then his voice turned soft. "And nine month later you gave birth to the most precious tomboy."

"She's a princess." Barbara objected.

"M-mh! A princess like you are, my wild one."

For a while Barbara just relaxed in his arms.

"Well, actually I don't mean that night. I was relating to the occasion where there was far more cloth between us. And we were in a tent in the North York Moors, chasing that - how did the press name him? Ranger-Hunter..."

"Oh, yes, I remember that night too." Tommy whispered and became romantic. His hand slid across Barbara's stomach. "When you'd waken me up I had very inappropriate thoughts about us."

"Me too, Tommy, me t- TOMMY!"

* * *

 **... a few years ago ...**

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They were walking in the North York Moors National Park. DI Lynley and DS Havers were led into the depth of the outstanding beauty by Andy Cabbott, a local ranger. Over the period of seven months two rangers were killed while sleeping in their tents, a third was shot and still fighting for his life in hospital so at one point the local CID had asked London for help. Both being single, so they easily could spend a few weeks or maybe months away from home, Lynley and Havers should act as the new rangers and this was how they were introduced to the staff. Preparatively they had learned about birds and plants and in Yorkshire they had learned more about the land and the tasks they would have. For another week they had walked the Moors with a local ranger they both did not like very much. Lynley was jealous how easy Cabbott could flirt with his sergeant and did not see that Barbara was not too pleased about the bloke's advances. In fact she was disgusted.

Eventually they even suspected him of being the Ranger-Hunter and discussed it in one of their secret meetings.

They had met so often without the others that after a short while their colleagues had been thinking of them as a couple. Cabbott had told her that over a pint after work but Barbara had denied it again so Cabbott had continued to flirt with her until his rival came in and Barbara, sick of the ranger, had shown an overexcitement about Tommy's arrival. The ranger had winked an eye and with a grin had whispered cheekily "I think you're a liar!"

She would let him think whatever he wanted, if he only would keep his hands to himself.

When Barbara had started to shyly flirt with her boss this evening and show open signs of affection she realised that it actually felt good. Tommy even had answered it likewise and so they finally had woven a private relationship into their roles.

* * *

Now that they walked deep into the woods where they should built up their tent and watch and count birds in a certain area they were prepared with the usual two-way-radio connected to the main ranger station and a secret one connected to their 24/7 backup. A continual GPS signal and an alert helicopter crew were their rear cover.

Since the murdered rangers had been stabbed in their sleep the Met, the SIS actually, had provided them with protective sleeping bags and a small alarm device for the zipper of the tent. It was quite bizarre. And stupidly dangerous.

Now they had set up the tent, counted birds, waited for the first of three nights, then ate some sandwiches and emptied the thermos flask of tea. Time for bed.

* * *

"We never should have agreed on that." DI Lynley said when he crawled into the tent. "It is too dangerous."

While DS Havers had changed into her nightwear inside he had done so on the outside, giving her a bit of a privacy. The dark green tent was too small for two persons to change into pyjamas anyway.

"Yah, let's call a cab and drive home..." Barbara muttered under her breath with the sleeping bag already closed up to her nose. Lynley set the alarm of the small lock.

Awkwardly they arranged themselves on the camping mats and turned off the small torchlight that dangled from the low ceiling.

"Sleep well, Barbara." Tommy whispered and yawned. "Let's hope nothing will happen tonight."

"Mh. Good night. Literally." She also yawned and turned her back at him. "Maybe t'morrow we'll call it off. Hare-brained idea, this whole thing."

"It's understood, Sergeant." Tommy grinned. She was right, this was a foolish idea. "First thing tomorrow, we walk back to the station. We'll have enough time to think about some fake reason to stop observing birds and then we'll talk with the Chief Super."

"First thing tomorrow will be a coffee, Sir!"

"Of course. Coffee." He yawned again. "It was a long day. Now let's just get some sleep."

* * *

Barbara felt good. She was half asleep and it was still dark but she knew she was in that tent in the heart of the Moors. It was comfortably warm. It did not feel as if she was fully wrapped in her sleeping bag anymore so she probably had wriggled her upper body out of the warm but safe thing. When she realised that it was still night she knew something must have woken her up so her heart started to suddenly race. _Maybe_ , she thought, _someone trying to enter the tent had made some noise._ Barbara cautiously moved and then felt two arms around her. She noticed a warm breath at her ear. The intense smell of his typical scent made sense now. He was spooning her.

Tommy had encircled Barbara's waist, his hand laid on her stomach - she could feel it even through the thick cloth of that 007 sleeping bag - and his other arm was under her head. Barbara knew that he was still sleeping because he restarted to make an annoyingly loud sound into her ear.

"Oh, for god's sake..." she mumbled and tried to wriggle away from him. Not that she did not like it, but a few more hours of sleep before they head back to the HQ would be nice. On the other hand she could enjoy his warmth and his scent and the soft grip of his arm a bit longer. Maybe she could keep lying that way and still fall asleep again.

She moved a bit and he stopped snoring again. She could endure this.

All the more with his lips suddenly at her ear, nibbling at her earlobe. "Why're y'wakin' me up, luv?" he sleepily whispered. Obviously he was not fully awake because otherwise he never would have tightened the grip of his hand on her breast.

A soft involuntary moan escaped her lips when additionally his body pressed into her back. Awake or not, he definitely liked the situation.

"Oh, wow..." she breathed. She liked it too.

"Get back t' sleep, m' dear." his low voice hummed onto her neck. "We've a long walk ahead of's t'morr..."

 _He must be dreaming!_ Barbara thought and tried to keep as still as possible. _I must be dreaming!_

Maybe she could keep this situation up with punctuated motions. A smug smile played around her lips when she felt his body go limp again. Again Tommy started to snore and she softly harrumphed while stretching her shoulders into his chest.

It worked. Again he tightened his grip and nuzzled in her hair.

"Hmmm. Smells good." His lips left a wet kiss at her neck. This was too much. He actually had kissed her. Barbara did not dare to move anymore and then slowly drifted back to sleep. That is until she heard him snoring again.

After about fifteen minutes that seemed like hours she loudly said "Oh, please stop that!" and with a jolt Tommy finally _was_ awake.

"Huh? What?!" He realised his position in an instant and quickly skidded to the other side of the tent. With incoherently stuttered words of apology he rearranged his sleeping bag around him and turned his back to her. He pretended to be fallen asleep within minutes. In fact he almost could not at all. His heart raced, his body was burning and his mind circled around the feeling of her body against his. _She must have felt it._ he thought slightly blushing and almost chuckled with some inappropriate thoughts bouncing through his mind.

They had mentioned the incident only months later when Tommy finally dared to confess that he really had enjoyed that night.

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 **A/N:** Thanks for all your reviews!


	3. Even More Cold Nights

**A/N:** Huge parts of the background story (which almost had become a story on its own) are deleted so it may look a bit unruly but still this chapter had turned into a slightly longer one. I hope you don't mind! Enjoy...

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 **Even More Cold Nights**

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"Oh, hello darling, you're awake." he whispered seeing her open one eye. "Good morning, sloth-bear."

"No." she closed her eye again and blushed a bit. "Just checking if you're still here."

"Why should I've left?"

"...dunno." Barbara very well knew. Before going to bed she had a fierce argument with Tommy about their eldest son going to Eton or not.

"My sweet silly wife." Tommy whispered giving her a gentle kiss. "I won't leave you just because of such a foolish disagreement. For better and for worse, remember?"

"Yah... was just checking. Get back to sleep. It's still night." she mumbled getting closer to him. The summer sun already had started to peek through the curtains. Barbara's husband chuckled and she opened both eyes. "What now?"

"I just remembered a certain morning when you were lying in my arms and you woke up. You've opened one eye and closed it again quickly trying to pretend you haven't woken up at all."

"You mean after our fight about giving up policing? During that summer holiday time when Jack was on the pony farm with Judith and Stephanie and we've had to have the nurse for Katie while we still were unexcusably busy with that serial killer case?" Barbara deeply sighed and kissed him. Sleep probably was not on the agenda anymore. She felt Tommy's body snuggling closer. "Mmmmh, that was the hell of a night. That bloody case, your stupid idea-"

"Not so very stupid!"

"...your _bloody untimely_ idea of retiring and that frustration-driven argument between us two completely edgy wrecks. I've slept so bad that night and when I woke up totally early the next morning you had cuddled close to me as if you'd been afraid I was gone. I really had to check if it was _you_ in my arms and not just the duvet."

"I've felt like a duvet?" Tommy asked mock shocked. "Ouch!"

"No, you fool." Barbara had pinched his bottom cheek where her hand had wandered to. "Not at all. You've been too... solid."

"Because you've felt so soft."

"I was glad that you've abandoned the idea of retiring. At least at that time."

"And I was glad that you've immediately abandoned the idea of being mad with me. It had become a very glorious morning, don't you think? And I still believe the arrival of Tiny Tommy nine months later was the best argument I could have given you for ending our detective careers in London." They shared a long kiss, both hoping that none of the three devils would interrupt their peaceful morning now. After a while they just laid there watching each other, caressing faces, tenderly stroking bare skins and smiling.

"No." Tommy eventually whispered. "Actually I was thinking of a different morning a longer time ago. We weren't yet a couple. Do you remember that ridiculous experience event during the refugee waves period? When some modernish counsellor had our entire department going to Ireland into that gym to help us getting a 'deeper feeling and understanding' for their situation? It definitely helped _me_ to get a deeper understanding of my feelings for you."

They shared another long kiss during which both pressed into the other one's body. It was on the verge of becoming another glorious morning.

"My a'th kar!"

"Oh, ya!" Barbara breathed onto his lips. "I remember that morning too. I think we've experienced many deep feelings during this event. And I have to admit that especially on that morning I've had very inappropriately deep feelings. I was so glad that you've made sure that our team had its own separated corner."

"And I was so glad Nkata had made sure that we both were left alone in that moment. Not only because of our fight the previous evening or the exhausting debate with DI Chaplin's team about the-"

"Shut up, Tommy." Barbara pressed her entire body against his and wriggled her groin against his promising crotch. "As long as you kiss me _now_ and as long as we're left alone too I don't-"

The door to their bedroom flew open with a bang.

"Mu-huuum! Jack's painted Bacon with red 'n' white stripes!" Bacon was Katie's hamster.

"Eton!" Barbara and Tommy groaned in unison.

* * *

 **... a few years ago ...**

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"What a shitty crap!" DS Barbara Havers mumbled under her breath and earned a stern but amused glare from her boss DI Thomas Lynley. Like all the higher ranks of the Met they were being informed by an enthusiastic Psycho-Bob, like Barbara had called him, about an event in Ireland to be prepared for the next wave of refugees.

Heartbreaking pictures were shown and O'Reilly, the Psycho-Bob, emphasised the importance of getting to learn about their emotions. The Commissioner had agreed that those who were not involved in a case should attend this five day experience in a gym in Ireland. Three nights there would help more than one dry lecture. During those days they only would have limited belongings with them and they would have to deal with authorities that did not speak their language because a few Gaelic speaking amateur actors would serve as their hosts. DI Lynley winked towards his first Sergeant. His knowledge of Scots Gaelic and Cornish would be helpful. Barbara just rolled her eyes.

When O'Reilly told them that there the teams were called 'families' it had made Barbara voice her disapproval once again but Lynley had leaned into her side with a grin. "You can act as my wife."

He had no clue why Barbara was more tight-lipped than ever for the next days at work.

* * *

The trip there had been made as adventurous as possible. Most were randomly separated and some had very inconvenient means of transportation. It had been a tiny vessel that carried Barbara across the Irish Sea and Nkata even only arrived the next day. There also were complete teams who were sent back home to London. In the end only a selected group of people would attend this crazy experience. Lynley, of course, had one of the easiest journeys. Later he had told Barbara that he had suspected they only had made his journey so easy because of him being who he was.

He did not approve but being in the first group to arrive Lynley had the chance to choose one of the corners of that gym for their stay. He had rearranged the given sleeping mats and, under protest from the so called guards, he had occupied four hurdles from the outside athletics area to separate their corner from the others. For more privacy he had thrown some paper tablecloths over them.

Other teams soon copied that. Although it was pretty obvious that they did not appreciate the developing dynamics nobody understood the guards' orders. Only DI Lynley told them in a mixture of Cornish, English and Scots Gaelic that they all have the right for some privacy. He was starting to agree with Barbara that this 'bonding experience' was a bit stupid.

Only minutes later he was called into the office and asked by the English supervisor to stop speaking this language mixture because it was boycotting the experiment. Tommy did not at all agree with them.

"Those refugees are not just exhausted uneducated people." he said. "There are nurses, craftsmen and farmers as well as doctors, engineers and agricultural economists who probably have learned English and are able to communicate with us. You should keep in mind that refugees aren't a bunch of poor, stupid people. Not even in this ridiculous game." Then he changed into Cornish and asked them to please give him access to an electric socket because he had to recharge his phone for a call to tell his family he had safely reached the Irish coast.

* * *

When more of his team had arrived they agreed on the sleeping situation with every two mats pairing and space in between where their bags were placed. For his own bed Lynley had picked two mats at the wall and he hoped Barbara would agree to sleep next to him.

She had been in the group that was dropped off their bus two miles from that gym so she was in a grumpy mood when her boss welcomed her. After her exhausting journey Barbara only wanted to have something to eat and then get into her sleeping bag. Being tired she did not at all protest that her mat was right next to the man she secretly was loving for so many years. At least their team had the most private area in the entire gym.

* * *

They had spent a wakeful first night without a real dinner. Their meals in general were lousy. Too much rice for Barbara's liking and of course the same meal for everyone. Already after their first lunch the next day Barbara was almost exploding and the Inspector, knowing that she would get serious problems with Hillier himself if she would give up, tried hard to keep her in a positive mood. It was no easy task.

Hours of doing nothing exchanged with hours of waiting. There was not much to do during the days except for those short moments when they had to collect stamps on fictive papers or when they had some Irish Gaelic lessons.

"That's the only useful thing on this bullshit." Barbara told Lynley after their first lesson on day two. Apart from that and a few more lectures about Syria the only distractions were playing cards and doing some exercises or playing football on the outer areas. Sometimes, wrapped into their warm coats, they both just walked across one of the fields and talked or simply kept silent enjoying the clear air of January. Unnoticed by both they learned many new personal things and slowly approached each other. During those peaceful walks a real connection between them developed.

So many times Tommy thought about taking her hand. So many times Barbara wanted to link arms with him. So many times Nkata watched them from a distance and wondered why the hell they did not.

* * *

It should have been a three nights stay but on the second day they were informed about an additional night due to an issue with the boats. Nobody was pleased. On the third day they even were told it would be two more nights. Sizzling disagreement buzzed through the gym. Everybody was exhausted by boredom, slightly hungry, sick of shared showers and simply tired of being with so many people in one room almost all the time. The atmosphere was that of an oncoming thunderstorm.

Except for the sleeping arrangement, that secretly even excited her, Barbara also was unpleased. During the last two nights she had gotten used to the comfortable breathing sounds of the man next to her. Of course he snored, she already knew it, and there were so many snoring people in the rest of the gym so she did not care of the one next to her, but she felt his heat radiating towards her and it carried his scent. When back home she expected to suffer from insomnia without that cosy, very personal cedar-wood and leather smell.

During the days though she was as edgy as everybody else. It culminated on the third day, two expected nights away from their journey back home.

* * *

DI Chaplin and his team had tried to claim the judo mats DI Lynley's team had found in a side room now softening the floor in their corner. Chaplin's team trampled disregardful through the clean area with their boots on, leaving sand and grass from their recent football match. Even politely asking was of no help and soon both teams were on the edge of a physical fight if not the guards would have separated them.

The argument between the team's senior ranks continued in the office. It was a serious issue with them shouting in all kinds of languages. In the end Lynley's team had to give half of their mats away. Of course they chose the dirty ones and dropped them only halfway towards Chaplin's camp.

Later back home in London they all would have to account for this incident.

* * *

On the very same day the heating had broken down sometime after lunch so the gym turned quite cold during the afternoon. Additional blankets were handed out by the guards. A few colleagues already joked that tonight they all would have to cuddle.

"Shut up, Winston!" Nkata had shown a juicy grin but before he could say anything in that direction Barbara had cut him short. Then she blushed about Lynley's broad smile towards her. Fortunately he had been too busy with helping the volunteers giving out dinner so she could disappear at their table without having to receive his joke about cuddling. She would not be able to bear it.

Unfortunately Tommy joined them before she had finished her meal which meant she could not escape it anyway. For him it may have been just a joke but for her it was torture. He could have been able to cuddle with her, she thought, but she only would feel the pain his innocent friendship would cause. Never would she mention it so she only gave a sarcastic remark. It did not stop there and what had started as a little banter if the heating issue was intended or not soon got out of hand. The topic slid to the entire situation and soon they grumbled and hissed at each other, accusing each other for being unreasonable or ignorant or too edgy. In the end Barbara stormed outside. After he had finished his own lunch Tommy followed her and tried to end their disagreement but it only got worse up to the point where they were openly shouting at each other. For the rest of this third day they never were found close again.

Nkata built the wall of bags between his and his boss' sleeping mat a bit higher. If this fight would proceed in the evening they should at least have more privacy.

* * *

Like every evening at about eight the lights were dimmed and at ten the lights were turned off completely except for a few green security lamps. Everybody had prepared for bed and the two angry detectives met again at their sleeping mats shortly before all went to bed. Both still were in a foul mood. Watching them closely Nkata saw how they secretly shot sad and insecure glances towards the other. He shook his head while he built his bed. Then he went to get some water for the night and when he returned his superiors were safely wrapped into their sleeping bags and each under an additional blanket.

If it was not already hurting him inside how the two behaved he would have chuckled at the thought that crossed his mind.

 _Mum and Dad had a fight..._

Lynley and Havers had turned their back towards each other and he knew they were not yet asleep but only pretended to be so. There was the most possible space between them. Wondering how long they would go on with that farce this time Winston slowly drifted into sleep.

* * *

In the middle of the night he woke and went to the loo. When he came back the sight of them caught his eye and he risked a closer look. Now they were lying there with decidedly less space between them. It almost looked as if they were cuddling. Barbara laid on her left side, curled and facing Lynley who laid half on his right side looking towards his Sergeant. His right arm was on her pillow and she had placed her head on its wrist and her right hand was in the crook of his arm. His left hand covered hers.

 _Oh,_ yes! _They're cuddling!_ Nkata grinned. Earlier when he had witnessed their fight he had seen how the hurt in their eyes had grown with each word. It had been clear to him that they obviously had longed to end this argument and solve their _personal_ issue. There obviously was something behind their constant quarrel that had nothing to do with the respective topic of their arguments. Now seeing them in such peaceful harmony it was obvious that both instinctively searched for the other's proximity to be assured that in fact _nothing_ really could come between them, at least a stupid disagreement about an even more stupid experiment. He would make sure nobody would disturb them in the morning or make fun of how they had arranged themselves in sleep. That they would wake up like this was clear to him.

He also would make sure that, when back home in London, they would lose their inability to confess their love for each other.

It was about time.

* * *

Tommy woke to a feeling as if someone was softly nudging him. Still half asleep he felt that a hand wandered across his hip and a warm body snuggled into his. His eyes went wide open and the view made him smile. Barbara's head was buried in his chest. Oh, what a marvellous feeling the soft pressure of her hand left on his behind. _She must be dreaming!_ he thought inwardly chuckling when he heard a mumbled sound of approval.

Only for a brief second he let his mind debate with his heart and more so with his body if he should try to gently push Barbara away. Not that he would not love to have her go on snuggling like that but she was asleep and probably would be embarrassed to the bone if she found out what she unknowingly did in her sleep. Or worse, if someone else would find out. The scent of her hair, as silky as almond milk and roses with a little spike of fresh lemon, filled his nose and washed away his worries. He would let her go on sleeping like this. Seeking for a slightly more comfortable position Tommy shifted his body.

"Yeh stay 'ere, To'may." she muttered into his chest while tightening her grip around him.

For a moment he froze but then he realised she still was sleeping so he simply left a soft kiss on the top of her hair. "Thank you." he breathed. She had called him by his given name and it had made his heart skip a beat.

When they would be back home in London he should ask if she remembered this night, if she remembered what she had said to him. But probably it did not mean anything and he still was just half dreaming. Although it felt gorgeous.

"Mmmh..." she hummed with her lips on his shirt. "Stop fidgetin'..."

Even in her sleepy state Barbara managed to pinch his chest with the hand that was under her head. Tommy almost chuckled. Carefully so she would not wake up completely he put both blankets over their bodies and with his free arm he pulled her even a bit closer before he went back to sleep, deeply contented with nearly everything.

* * *

It had turned warmer for a while and when Barbara comfortably drifted into waking she recognised that she had wriggled her upper body out of the sleeping bag. It still was warmer than it should have been without heating and she felt the weight of more than one blanket on her shoulders. She suspected his chivalrous Lordship to have tucked her in with his own rug but there also was the weight of an arm around her waist and still half asleep she also felt its hand flat on her back.

For a quick glance her eyes shot open only to be closed again in a second. She just had caught a glimpse of his dark mop of unruly hair right next to her cheek. Without success Barbara sent a clear order to her heart to stop pounding against her chest. She was afraid he might hear it and wake up.

Probably in order to stay under the blankets they laid so close to each other that most parts of their sleeping-bag clad bodies almost touched. The breathing sounds she heard were quite loud because Lynley had buried his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder. His nose was closed from her softer flesh there and his open lips warmly breathed and quietly snored onto her naked skin. Pleasurably tickling his lips slightly touched her with every expiration of breath.

Hers stopped but her eyes still stayed shut even when she found where her own arms were. One was under Tommy's head, her hand buried in the hair in his nape, barely kept from caressing him, and the other was twined around his upper body, holding him softly against her own. It felt wonderful to be this close to him so she dared to open her eyes again. When he moved she realised how close they really were. Actually his hand that was stuck somewhere under his chest brushed her breast and she knew he was not completely sleeping when she felt a soft stroke with the back of his fingers. Delightedly surprised Barbara sucked in some air and gave a small high-pitched tone. Then she laid stock-still and tried to breathe even while Tommy was wriggling into a different position keeping the proximity to her.

"Barbaa..." Tommy finally aspirated onto her skin and left a caressing wet kiss on her neck before he nudged his forehead deeper into the crook.

All this happened with Barbara having her eyes wide open in shock. And pure joy. She was sure he would not remember anything the next morning but right now he was hers and probably never again in her entire life would she get the chance to indulge in something like this.

Barbara indulged in the feeling of his knuckles against her breast. She relished the weight of his arm around her. She revelled in the warmth his body gave her. She enjoyed his soft hair that tickled her nose since she had bent her neck and placed her face on top of his head. The rich personal cedar-wood scent of Tommy that reached her entire mind had such a soothing effect and Barbara fell asleep sooner than her first irritation might have implied.

* * *

Barbara stirred. Feeling an arm around her and a warm body close to her she swallowed. Tommy's scent still was all around her. Behind her eyelids she recognised that either the lights in the gym were on or the sun had already dawned. She feared that she might have slept in although it would not matter anyway. Still she had to check if it was him or his pillow she was cuddling with.

"Oh, hello, you're awake." Lynley breathed seeing her open one eye. He did not move away though.

"No." she whispered deeply blushing and closed her eye again. "Just checking it's you. Why are you still here?"

"Why should I've left?"

"...dunno. Seize the day?" For a moment Barbara wondered why it was so quiet in the gym and especially here in their corner. There only were sounds from a few people at the tables obviously having breakfast.

"Ah, well..." Tommy resisted the urge to kiss her. "It's too cold outside."

"Yah... was just checkin'. I'm still sleepin'. It's still night." she mumbled wriggling deeper under the blanket and realising how closely touching she actually was with him. Her body was shamelessly pressed against his.

* * *

 _Have we slept this way the entire night?_ She vaguely remembered waking up and having him tenderly nuzzling onto her neck tonight. _Oh, goodness gracious, are we seen?_ In this moment she heard and actually felt her boss' light chuckle so she opened both eyes. "What now?"

"Your fear that someone might see you cuddling with your boss was written all over your face and you've widened your eyes even though they were closed." Again he wanted to simply kiss her. Their faces were so close that he could feel her breath. A frowning furrow on her forehead made him quickly add that she should not worry because their team already had started the day and they were alone here at the moment. It was time to make amends. "I'm sorry about our fight, Barbara. I'd really like to apologise for my harsh words."

"Hm. 't's ok." She yawned. Re-heating the bloody fight definitely was _not_ what she wanted. She wanted nothing more than to be kissed right now. When he spoke she could feel it breezing across her skin. Maybe just a small kiss, she thought and did not listen to his words. Just a short soft contact of his lips on hers, even a friendly kiss would do. Anything that included his lips on hers. Unconsciously she wriggled a bit closer into his chest and moved her face another bit closer to his. She could make it appear like it was an accidental touch. He probably never would think of kissing her.

* * *

Tommy's arms around her tightened again as if he wanted to pull her another bit closer. A sigh escaped her lips and she closed her eyes again. She had stared into his dark eyes long enough. Seeing her blushing deeper Tommy assumed she was feeling the same gentle wave of physical affection. He knew that even if his mind told him to behave decently he was about to kiss her now. His lips approached hers.

"Can I take another nap, Sir?" she whispered in the exact moment when their noses brushed. Barbara immediately retreated. She cursed herself when he also moved a tad backwards. Involuntarily she followed him a few millimetres. In return it made him confident that she would not be mad with him if he kissed her now. Tommy also closed his eyes.

"No." he almost inaudibly breathed into her open mouth a second later when his face drew closer to hers again. Their lower lips already feathery touched. Their embrace reassuringly tightened.

* * *

"Barb! You sloth-bear!" Winston's loud voice could be heard. Had she not been in Tommy's arms Barbara would have jumped backwards to the end of her mat. "Get up or there's no more warm water for your shower!"

Destroying the romantic moment Winston appeared, still drying his dreadlocks and turning his back towards them when he reached his own mat only one pile of bags and two feet away from the still embracing couple. He secretly had observed them waking up and trying to kiss but although he was entirely sorry he now had to separate them before DCs Troy, Scott and Jones would see them. Earlier they already had made enough sport of the big heap of blankets on their superiors' bivouac. After his own shower Nkata had waited at the other end of their area to make sure nobody would disturb their sweet surprising morning moment but now that the three DCs were there he had to save them from an awkward situation.

With a sigh Tommy let go of her soft warm body and got up from their sleeping mats. "You're a _sweet_ little sloth-bear, Barbara." he smiled back down to her when he rearranged the blankets over her body. Blushing she pulled them over her head. It just had dawned on her that in her half asleep state earlier she shamelessly had wriggled her hips against something that definitely had felt like a morning happiness.

Tommy definitely had felt that too and without hesitation he admitted to himself that the feeling of her against him had been glorious.

Of course Barbara was completely unable to get back to sleep.

* * *

Fortunately the issues with the boats back home were cleared and they returned the same day.

* * *

 **...**

* * *

"I still think this was a good experience for us all." Tommy firmly said.

"And I still think it could have turned into a complete disaster!" Barbara answered grumbling.

Two days after they had returned home, coming back from the debriefing, they soon had another loud argument at work about the good or bad or stupid of the previous experience. It abruptly ended in silence. For a few seconds the office was dead silent. Tommy and Barbara stood there like duellists and shot hot angry glares towards the other.

"In my office, Havers!" he eventually had hissed and hurried ahead. Tommy heard her slamming the door behind them. "Why are you so stubborn, Barbara? Huh? Why can't you just see and appreciate how bonded we all have returned from Ireland, how close we, the team, we _both_ actually, have come during this experience?"

"You're such an idiot, _Sir_." She cursed him fiercely. Then Barbara finally broke into tears of anger and frustration. "I can see it very clearly, but I simply can't _bear_ it."

"That's stupid!" he snapped.

"Oh, yes, it's stupid!" she barked. "But this closeness only _hurts_ me because I stupidly l-"

She cut herself short. She almost had said that she loved him. With wide anxious eyes she observed his reaction.

"Ah, that's nice." Tommy hissed, still quite sarcastic although his anger almost completely had subsided. His face was in a positive shock. "You have a strange way of signalising it, Barbara. Otherwise I would have done _this_ doubtlessly earlier. Because I stupidly love you too."

Then, with tears in his eyes too and a determined look, he rough-gently pulled her into his arms. She, with still wide open eyes and a positively surprised expression, firmly grabbed his waist. Without any hesitation or more explanations Barbara and Tommy desperately exchanged a seething kiss.

Outside Winston hung a do-not-disturb-sign at the knob of the office door and smugly grinned. He had followed their fight at her desk and then had listened closely to what had happened in the Inspector's office. They had solved their private issue on their own.

Finally.

* * *

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* * *

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* * *

 **A/N:** No animal was being harmed during the writing of this story and only easy removable watercolour has been used on the hamster. I also wish to note that it was not my intent to let the refugee challenge in Europe appear harmless or easy nor had I wanted you to think I would joke about it.


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